Danny Murphy couldn’t mask his surprise last night, as Spain manager Luis Enrique declined to substitute Wolverhampton Wanderers star Adama Traore on against Sweden.
La Roja were in action for the first time at Euro 2020 in Sevilla.
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The game finished 0-0, the first of the tournament so far, with Spain utterly dominating in terms of possession.
Full-time statistics indicate they had 86% of the ball.
They played a staggering 917 passes to Sweden’s 162.
For all that possession though, Spain mustered up just five shots on target, with Alvaro Morata fluffing his lines badly in the first-half.
As the game drew to a close, BBC pundit Murphy expressed his surprise at Enrique not turning to Wolves star Traore.
He said in the 86th minute: “I am surprised they haven’t used Traore.
“I know he sees his players every day training and whether they’re sharp, I understand all that.
“When you’re coming up against a team like this, he’s exactly the type of player you want.
“He’s just one of the best at one-on-one situations with a full-back when you know he can beat them.
“It’s a really strange one.”
Spain needed Traore X-factor
It was a surprise to see Enrique overlook Traore.
Spain were crying out for a bit of penetration, with Sweden defending stubbornly against their passing.
Hopefully the Molineux star will see some minutes in their next game against Poland.